As one of the technical, ea, rationalist people at the event (but not one of those who worked with you), this was a joy to read! Best of luck finding more events and people like this in the future
Yes!! You put into words what I've been feeling often at my day job - everyone is smart and professional but it just feels like the workplace is sometimes lacking... substance. Maybe it's because I'm working remotely? But you made such a great point on "crazy bananas questions" - they're fun and actually make you think!
Apart from such conferences, would you know of other communities with the same vibe / energy? (doesn't have to be on AI safety)
So, mostly there was a lot of that in the Bay Area. I used to go to loads of crazy hackathons (for programming, hacking government, education, the environment...), but there were also events run by an old acquaintance of mine, Adam Rifkin, called 106 Miles (no idea if it's still a thing, and the only live link I could find was a Facebook page, so here's an article instead). https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/how-a-shy-star-trek-loving-software-engineer-became-fortunes-best-networker
Great piece and missing London for this very reason :)
As one of the technical, ea, rationalist people at the event (but not one of those who worked with you), this was a joy to read! Best of luck finding more events and people like this in the future
I'm glad you liked it! It was really fun to meet so many interesting folks and perhaps we'll work together at another event.
Yes!! You put into words what I've been feeling often at my day job - everyone is smart and professional but it just feels like the workplace is sometimes lacking... substance. Maybe it's because I'm working remotely? But you made such a great point on "crazy bananas questions" - they're fun and actually make you think!
Apart from such conferences, would you know of other communities with the same vibe / energy? (doesn't have to be on AI safety)
So, mostly there was a lot of that in the Bay Area. I used to go to loads of crazy hackathons (for programming, hacking government, education, the environment...), but there were also events run by an old acquaintance of mine, Adam Rifkin, called 106 Miles (no idea if it's still a thing, and the only live link I could find was a Facebook page, so here's an article instead). https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/how-a-shy-star-trek-loving-software-engineer-became-fortunes-best-networker
More locally in Dublin, the @fitzwilliam reading group (https://www.thefitzwilliam.com/p/join-the-fitzwilliam-reading-group) goes a long way, but it's definitely on the rationalist/EA side of the spectrum.
Beyond that? The closest thing I can think of is starting a salon (by which I mean the Virginia Woolf/Oscar Wilde type, not the hair type).
Woah, first time hearing these - thank you! And yeah, I heard a lot about SF through a friend. Hoping to attend an event there someday.
Though I'm currently in Asia, so I'm limited to online for now. Any communities you'd recommend?
AI Safety Hong Kong and AI Safety India are becoming a thing! There's also AI Safety Asia!